Stem cell transplantation for lupus

Stem cell transplantation is the replacement of damaged bone marrow
cells with healthy cells, or stem cells. It is generally done after powerful
drugs have been used to wipe out the damaged immune system
(immunoablation).

Stem cells are immature cells that are produced in the bone marrow.
They can divide to produce more stem cells or mature into red blood cells,
white blood cells, and platelets. In an experimental procedure, a small number
of people with
lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE) have
successfully been treated with their own stem cells.1

Stem cell transplantation has serious risks. After a
person's stem cells have been collected from the bloodstream, they are returned
to the bloodstream along with a stem cell growth factor. If successful, the
stem cells help the bone marrow return to a healthy state. However, during the
two weeks that the
immune system requires to become strong again, the
body is extremely vulnerable to life-threatening infection.

Although several people have been disease-free at about 25 months
after stem cell transplantation, this procedure is considered a high-risk,
expensive, and experimental treatment for lupus.1

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